West Asia News and Discussions

shyamd · Post by **shyamd** » 04 Mar 2011 20:16

Just had a very revealing insight into whats going on in the GCC and how they feel, what their plans are etc. Will post about it later.

Johann · Post by **Johann** » 04 Mar 2011 20:40

- The Libyan air force depends not just on Syrians, but Pakistanis, and personnel from the the former Soviet Union.

- The US military (and for that matter British military) would rather lend assistance to Libyan rebels through special forces advisors and arms supplies than mount a major conventional intervention. They are concerned about the scale of the civil problems they would have to manage, the difficulties in telling pro and anti Gadafi forces apart, etc. Potentially its Lebanon or Iraq all over again.

- Not many people outside the Arab world noticed, but last week Yusuf al-Qaradawi, perhaps the most influential living cleric in the Sunni Arab world and someone who is *very*closely tied to the Muslim Brotherhood worldwide issued a fatwa on Qadafi, live on Al-Jazeera after Gadafi's first airstrikes on civilians. He declared jihad against Gadafi as fard ayn, or obligatory. In 2004 he had issued a similar fatwa against the US presence in Iraq. Libya may be the place where the Muslim Brotherhood makes the greatest strides.

Lalmohan · Post by **Lalmohan** » 04 Mar 2011 20:58

so Col-G's rants about Al-Q are not entirely high pressure musharraff exhalations?

joshvajohn · Post by **joshvajohn** » 04 Mar 2011 21:05

Libya opposition appeals to international community
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIgopPVO ... r_embedded

Libya: Protesters Killed As Army Opens Fire
http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/World- ... Of_Zawiyah

It is essential to give a few days for Gaddaffi to step down if not a no-fly zone can be imposed with UN sanctions against Gaddaffi's regime. May be if Gaddaffi goes away within these days he can be considered for a fair trial in the UN court and also a fair retirement in anyone of the countries if not found guilty. If found guilty then he can spend in a friendly country's prison.

There should be a dialogue between Bengazi and the rest to go forward. If Gaddaffi wants to do something he should declare an election in his country for a parliament and a constitutional change for democracy and also radical reforms that would help people to get basic facilities for libyans. He should hand it over to his own group including his son and also Bengazi group for six months to one year to bring these changes in the constitution and practices of democracy in his own country.

If these things do not work out then Gaddaffi would face the same sitution as Iraqi president. He is responsible for his own fate. Western countries should make it very clear to Libyans that they are interested in buying their oil and not leading their country and owning their oil well but joint projects of producing and selling oil together with libyans. Such points would clarify those fears that Gaddaffi creates among his own peple.

SwamyG · Post by **SwamyG** » 04 Mar 2011 21:07

London School of Useful Idiots: How a cadre of Blair cronies, ex-MI6 chiefs and top dons at a top university supported Gaddafi for his millions

The trouble with Fred Halliday was that he drank too much. He repeatedly warned colleagues at the London School of Economics, where he was professor of international relations, that taking money from Libya would come back to haunt them.

Fred spoke ten languages including several from the Middle East. He could see that the university where he had taught for 15 years was dealing with the Devil and risking its precious international reputation. He didn’t even want Saif Gaddafi to be a student there.

They didn’t listen to him. Not just because he drank, of course, but because they were greedy for Libyan money, a donation of a whopping £1.5million that Saif, now 38, made to the LSE a year after they had given him a PhD.

Hopefully, the Academics and Universities in the West supporting pseudo-secularism, in India, are outed next.

Lalmohan · Post by **Lalmohan** » 04 Mar 2011 21:10

i think I would like to undertake a refresher course in international relations under Dr Alia Brahimi, i do hope she will consider my LMU credentials as worthy

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 04 Mar 2011 21:20

You probably met all these turds some time the other in Londonistan!

Johann · Post by **Johann** » 04 Mar 2011 21:21

Lalmohan wrote:so Col-G's rants about Al-Q are not entirely high pressure musharraff exhalations?

Oh the rants are nonsense - the people who are rebelling are not Salafi Jihadis.

But if Qadafi is not defeated quickly, and some kind of democratic order put in place equally quickly the Salafi Jihadis will have an opportunity to flower, just as in Iraq after Saddam.

Libya in the 2000s did the same thing that Egypt did in the 1980s with its jihadis - packed a whole lot of them off so that they'd get killed somewhere else, while currying favour with conservative Muslims at home and abroad.

In the 1980s it was Af-Pak. In the 2000s it was Iraq. A lot of them were from around Benghazi, and the failure of jihad in Iraq led to a fundamental re-evaluation by the Libyan jihadists in the late 2000s, and they gave up armed jihad.

What I think is the real threat is that the dinosaurs at the top of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood, and Hamas (Palestinian MB) will see Libya as an opportunity. They are going to put in money and trainers, and build a militant Libyan Ikhwan which can act as a rear support area for both Hamas and the Egyptian MB.

This is an emergent issue, and I think it will play a role in the willingness of the EU, US, and the Tunisian and Egyptian militaries to hasten Qadafi's departure one way or another.

Qadafi on the other hand would be well served by radicalisation, because it would make him the local force best in place to fight it, and a potential ally of the West, i.e. the kind of role the Pakistan Army plays.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 04 Mar 2011 21:52

sorry Lalmohan saar, that course is full with fresh applications and there is a waiting list. I wonder what those 'meetings' with the young scion involved.

shyamd · Post by **shyamd** » 04 Mar 2011 23:23

Johann wrote:- The Libyan air force depends not just on Syrians, but Pakistanis, and personnel from the the former Soviet Union.

- The US military (and for that matter British military) would rather lend assistance to Libyan rebels through special forces advisors and arms supplies than mount a major conventional intervention. They are concerned about the scale of the civil problems they would have to manage, the difficulties in telling pro and anti Gadafi forces apart, etc. Potentially its Lebanon or Iraq all over again.

- Not many people outside the Arab world noticed, but last week Yusuf al-Qaradawi, perhaps the most influential living cleric in the Sunni Arab world and someone who is *very*closely tied to the Muslim Brotherhood worldwide issued a fatwa on Qadafi, live on Al-Jazeera after Gadafi's first airstrikes on civilians. He declared jihad against Gadafi as fard ayn, or obligatory. In 2004 he had issued a similar fatwa against the US presence in Iraq. Libya may be the place where the Muslim Brotherhood makes the greatest strides.

^^ heard about Qaradawi, he did it live on al jazeera arabic.

Yes, US, UK & France are organising the resistance. But they will get squashed by the air force if Gaddafi chooses to use it decisively.
And there is every indication he is organising himself in order to use helicopter pilots, air force planes against the rebels.

svinayak · Post by **svinayak** » 04 Mar 2011 23:51

Fake Social Media Army Used To Sway Public Opinion
http://www.webguild.org/20110303/fake-s ... ic-opinion

By WebGuild at March 03, 2011

The US government has been caught red-handed in the war against public opinion. Leaked emails reveal how the United States Government hired private contractor HBGary to create an army of fake social media profiles with the sole intention of swaying public opinion on controversial issues.

Facebook users who protect their accounts by only adding the friends they know were also at risk. Redacted News found that among the emails were clear instructions on how to compromise a user’s social network by pretending to be an old friend from school for example:

Those names can be cross-referenced across Facebook, twitter, MySpace, and other social media services to collect information on each individual. Once enough information is collected this information can be used to gain access to these individuals social circles.

Even the most restrictive and security conscious of persons can be exploited. Through the targeting and information reconnaissance phase, a person’s hometown and high school will be revealed. An adversary can create a classmates.com account at the same high school and year and find out people you went to high school with that do not have Facebook accounts, then create the account and send a friend request.

In earlier times, the propaganda machine relied heavily on newspaper, radio and television mediums to mould public opinion. However, the phenomenal increase in social media use has made it easier for Government departments to hide behind sub-contractors, given the EFF’s warning in October 2010 that revealed the extent of Big Brother’s presence online and their many attempts to befriend us

http://www.gizmodo.com.au/2011/03/fake- ... c-opinion/

Dilbu · Post by **Dilbu** » 05 Mar 2011 00:02

Any news on Libya evacuation efforts by IAF?

shyamd · Post by **shyamd** » 05 Mar 2011 00:13

^^ eastern libya airspace is closed, so no clearance for the IAF to launch pick up. However, there is talk that they may ferry indians from tunisian border to cairo for flights back to india using the Il-76..
The IAF IL-76 is under command of MEA guys in Cairo. So IAF will act according to MEA guys in Cairo instructions. Second Il-76 is on standby in India.

---------i-----i-----i---i----
Right, so me and source have been chit chatting about all this goin on.

They feel its the US doing all this unrest, but obviously I questioned all that. Reasons were similar to how we feel about western backing for maoists and pak etc. While we Indians feel we are a threat to the US, they feel they are a threat to the US.

Its one big plan against the gulf. Anyway, the plan is for all GCC nations to unite and get through this together.
The GCC have basically told Bahrain, that their militaries are ready to help Bahrain. Also pledged a massive fund for Bahrain and Oman.

Meanwhile there have been violent attacks by shia trouble makers in parts of Bahrain..

Anyway, so the Saudi's have estimated 7000 activists will protest next week and KSA is calling all suppliers for anti riot equipment.

Source also mentioned, that Sunni rule is based on Islam and Shia rule is basicallly people's rule rather than use of islam. Guru's any comment?

pgbhat · Post by **pgbhat** » 05 Mar 2011 01:20

Lalmohan wrote:i think I would like to undertake a refresher course in international relations under Dr Alia Brahimi, i do hope she will consider my LMU credentials as worthy

Jalebi Memon is also from the same iskool onlee.

sum · Post by **sum** » 05 Mar 2011 10:29

"Friend of India" Gadhaffi uvacha:
Gaddafi likens his crackdown to India's action in Kashmir

NEW DELHI: Libyan strongman Muammar Gaddafi told PM Manmohan Singh last week that his actions against his people in Libya were akin to India's actions against Kashmiris.

On the eve of the UN Security Council debate and vote against Libya on February 26, Gaddafi, in a missive to Singh, asked for India's support for his actions as civil war broke out in Libya.

Gaddafi has rarely been a person India has been comfortable with. In September 2009, Gaddafi, in a 100-minute speech at the UN General Assembly, railed against India and Kashmir as well. "Kashmir should be an independent state, not Indian, not Pakistani. We should end this conflict. It should be a Ba'athist state between India and Pakistan," he said.

Mukesh.Kumar · Post by **Mukesh.Kumar** » 06 Mar 2011 00:27

@shyamd- Boss, what's your mail id. Royal chaiwala update.

I think you have the GCC angle slightly off. Something is seriously wrong here. This GCC meeting is not about uniting. There's more to the Oman fund angle than meets the eye. Rather not post on an open forum. Will mail you.

shyamd · Post by **shyamd** » 06 Mar 2011 00:29

^^Mukeshji, email me at eye.on.middleeast "at gmail "dot" com

Thanks

_____________________________________________---

UPDATE: The former ambassador to India of the Libyan regime Ali AL Essawi is now the head of the Libyan interim Council! This is now what appears to be an International Libyan government.

- Gates is rushing to Cairo as they fear the Egyptian Army is losing control.
- Stuff I am hearing is that US mili intel officers on the ground are providing poor intel from Libya, so Obama has set up a Libyan intel commission.
- Riyadh announced that all protests are now banned. This is the same as Bahrain situation a few weeks ago. The Saudi's have said they will use force. Me and source had an arguement over this. Source believes they will militarily put down any uprising (leaving sensitive details out), I am of the opinion that the call for dialogue by Bahrain Crown Prince is the way forward and what source said was that they all know this is Sunni vs Shia problem. I said - its better to pre-empt and deal with these protests without violence. Play the game rather than go head on.
- Omani leader HM Sultan Qaboos has just sacked 2 ministers, in order to meet protesters demands. One of them is Sheikh Ali Majid Al Mamari, FORMER minister of Royal Office, oman's security (Pranab is close with this chap when he was defence min and this chap helped us during our sensitive security requests such as Home ministry and Royal Omani Police cooperation on terror investigations - in particular 26/11 and extradition of Nawaz (BLR blasts suspect), and the Sultan's FORMER right hand. I always thought this guy would be the next ruler. Appears not.
While this is a small hit to Indian interest in the Sultanate, our relations with Oman are extremely deep with the Sultan and I forecast no problems going forward.

Mukesh.Kumar · Post by **Mukesh.Kumar** » 06 Mar 2011 00:47

Sent mail from MK bindi Patnawale @ gmail bindi com

shyamd · Post by **shyamd** » 06 Mar 2011 04:54

^^ Replied.

Oman says it has reconciled with UAE over spy ring

Oman has reconciled with the United Arab Emirates after Kuwaiti mediation succeeded in resolving tensions over an alleged spy ring, a foreign ministry official said Friday.

Last month, Oman said it dismantled a spy ring linked to the UAE that targeted government and military operations. The UAE strongly denied the allegations and the case marked a rare display of tensions between the close allies and neighbors.

The official said Kuwait's emir, Sheik Sabah Al Ahmed Al Sabah, shuttled between the Gulf nations and returned to Oman Thursday along with several UAE officials, including Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum.

They met with Oman's ruler, Sultan Qaboos bin Said, the official said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to release the information.

Efforts to ease the dispute have taken on urgency following rare clashes between security forces and protesters this week in Oman. The six-member Gulf Cooperation Council also is seeking a unified strategy amid unrest in Bahrain and calls for protests in Kuwait next week.

The UAE news agency WAM confirmed the Kuwaiti mediation and the meeting in Oman. It said Sheik Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the crown prince of the UAE capital of Abu Dhabi attended the meeting.

devesh · Post by **devesh** » 06 Mar 2011 05:50

Singha ji, you're too damn right. my application has been on 'pending' status for years now. i would very much like to be enlighten myself under Dr. Brahimi's watchful eyes.

Mukesh.Kumar · Post by **Mukesh.Kumar** » 06 Mar 2011 14:38

[quote="shyamd"]^^ Replied.

Oman says it has reconciled with UAE over spy ring
[quote] Oman has reconciled with the United Arab Emirates after Kuwaiti mediation succeeded in resolving tensions over an alleged spy ring, a foreign ministry official said Friday.

Shyam, news on the ground says that the Emir was politely received, given a polite hearing and then told that this is not working out.

krisna · Post by **krisna** » 06 Mar 2011 19:35

Libya gadaffi and Lockerbie

Kaddafi has been referred to ICC, which Washington does not recognize as it would then try Bush and Blair etc
Most of the news about Libya still comes vis BBC and CNN and other western outlets. I watched day in and day out spins, half-truths and blatant lies being spouted US/UK leaders from 2002 onwards being magnified by the media before the illegal invasion of Iraq and its brutal occupation. There are atleast 50,000 US troops in Iraq .Iraqis like other Arabs have made protests , peaceful and many gunned down. But little in media .The current Iraqi rulers , many have foreign passports and mostly reside in well protected Green Zone castle in Baghdad and many live abroad .
The same US/UK jokers are now covering Libya and as usual Indian media relies on them.

The lies about the Lockberie , downing of a Panam plane ( in revenge for US shooting down of an Iranian civil airliner) had field day.

http://lockerbiecase.blogspot.com/2009/ ... p-for.html

Why have US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and her officials responded to the return of Megrahi with such a volcanic reaction? The answer is straightforward. The last thing that Washington wants is the truth to emerge about the role of the US in the crime of Lockerbie.

It all started in July 1988 with the shooting down by the warship USS Vincennes of an Iranian airliner carrying 290 pilgrims to Mecca - without an apology.
The Iranian minister of the interior at the time was Ali Akbar Mostashemi, who made a public statement that blood would rain down in the form of ten western airliners being blown out of the sky.
Mostashemi was in a position carry out such a threat - he had been the Iranian ambassador in Damascus from 1982 to 1984 and had developed close relations with the terrorist gangs of Beirut and the Bekaa Valley - and in particular terrorist leader Abu Nidal and Ahmed Jibril, the head of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine - General Command.

Washington was appalled. I believe so appalled and fearful that it entered into a Faustian agreement that, tit-for-tat, one airliner should be sacrificed. This may seem a dreadful thing for me to say. But consider the facts. A notice went up in the US Embassy in Moscow advising diplomats not to travel with Pan Am back to America for Christmas.

American military personnel were pulled off the plane. A delegation of South Africans, including foreign minister Pik Botha, were pulled off Pan Am Flight 103 at the last minute--

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/opini ... 63453.html

Yet there was no court at the time. Only journalists – with MI6 and the CIA contacts – had pointed the finger at Jibril's rogues. It was Iran's revenge, they said, for the shooting down of a perfectly innocent Iranian passenger jet by the captain of the American warship Vincennes a few months earlier. I still happen to believe this is close to the truth.
But the moment Syria sent its tanks to defend Saudi Arabia after Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait in 1990, all the MI6 truth-telling turned into a claptrap of nonsense about Col Gaddafi. And Gaddafi, let's face it, was in deep trouble. Libya almost certainly was responsible for the earlier bombing of French UTA flight 772 over Chad in 1989. Why not frame him with Lockerbie too—

http://www.chris-floyd.com/

The howling hypocrisy of the American response to the uprising in Libya has been so jaw-dropping and nauseating that I've hardly been able to address it.

The same western leaders who happily armed and did business with the Gaddafi regime until a fortnight ago have now slapped sanctions on the discarded autocrat and blithely referred him to the international criminal court the United States won't recognise.

( already posted here about the UK connections here)

The United States pushing through a measure to refer Libyan leaders to an international court which the United States resolutely refuses to recognize -- lest its own leaders and their underlings find themselves in the dock for the most monstrous war crimes of this century?

When more than 300 people were killed by Hosni Mubarak's security forces in a couple of weeks, Washington initially called for "restraint on both sides". In Iraq, 50,000 US occupation troops protect a government which last Friday killed 29 peaceful demonstrators demanding reform. In Bahrain, home of the US fifth fleet, the regime has been shooting and gassing protesters with British-supplied equipment for weeks.

The reality is that the western powers which have backed authoritarian kleptocrats across the Middle East for decades now face a loss of power in the most strategically sensitive region of the world as a result of the Arab uprisings and the prospect of representative governments. They are evidently determined to appropriate the revolutionary process wherever possible, limiting it to cosmetic change that allows continued control of the region.

Military intervention wouldn't just be a threat to Libya and its people, but to the ownership of what has been until now an entirely organic, homegrown democratic movement across the region.
Again, that would be -- will be? -- the very point of any type of Western military intervention in Libya: to kill a popular, democratic movement that is at present beyond the control of the imperial militarists along the Potomac. Such an intervention would allow Gaddafi and other tyrants under threat to paint opponents to their rule as "tools of the imperialists," while rallying many who oppose them back to their side, to defend the nation against outsiders. This in turn would help "stabilize" the revolutionary situations -- and the leaders, now safe once more, could then turn back to their cynical backroom deals with the West, and hoarding the blood and toil of their people in the cool vaults of Swiss banks. Hey, it's a win-win situation all around.

Events are in free, chaotic flow right now. The Libyan opposition might be able to oust Gaddafi before President Peacey and Prime Minister Fauntleroy go in with guns blazing. And events elsewhere might suddenly erupt and draw off attention and resources. But we are certainly seeing a creeping militarization in the response to the Libyan uprising -- and behind the exigencies of this crisis, there is the deeper shadow that Milne discerns: the longer-range project to diffuse and destroy the Arab Awakening before it further spreads its genuine threat to the business-as-usual dominance of Western elites.

This is news to me regarding the US perfidy in allowing libya to bomb one airline for their bombing the Iran airliner.
But US did not pay anything to Iran or tried in court but Libya ended paying $2.7 billions for the families and deals worth millions to western companies.
It is mentioned elsewhere that gadahafi was afraid that he will also be saddamed like that of Iraq dictator, hence he agreed to the deals on lockerbie to protect himself with the western powers.

krisna · Post by **krisna** » 06 Mar 2011 19:48

BETWEEN FRIENDS AND FOES- It is in India’s interest to forge a coherent West Asia policy

The West’s desertion matters most, perhaps, not only because Gaddafi has been at such pains to surrender his nuclear options and reinvent himself as Uncle Sam’s pet but because of the lessons of Iraq and Afghanistan. With British and German planes landing in Libya, talk of a no-fly zone and David Cameron accused of playing Tony Blair, a Western bid for regime change can be expected if the revolt fails to bring Gaddafi down.

Has India’s evaluation changed because some of Gaddafi’s people have turned against him? Or because the United States of America has? Now we are told Seif al-Islam, Gaddafi’s son and heir, pulled a fast one on New Delhi’s Islamic Centre. Now India, like the US, wants sanctions against Libya, and its leader tried for crimes against humanity. Fellow columnist K.P. Nayar may be able to throw light on the number of telephone calls and summonses from the Americans before Hardeep Singh Puri, India’s permanent representative to the United Nations who was reportedly held at Texas airport not long ago in violation of his diplomatic immunity and his turban “searched forcefully”, agreed to suppress his own preference for a more calibrated approach and go the whole hog.
Since Americans test friends and foes on the touchstone of UN votes, P.V. Narasimha Rao had to support revocation of Resolution 3379 (Zionism-is-racism), passed by the UN general assembly with great gusto in 1975, as part of the price of acceptance. As prime minister, I.K. Gujral did not rush to Kuwait’s defence when Saddam Hussein overran the emirate but realized — when the US cut off aid for impoverished Yemen because it voted against invading Iraq — that near-bankrupt India would have to toe the line. After that, India supported every American move at the UN.
It’s ironical that the US, with India tagging along, should seek to commit Gaddafi to the International Criminal Court which neither country recognizes. It is also ironical that the world should suddenly have woken up to his dictatorship. Gaddafi has not been anything else since he overthrew the pro-Western monarchy in 1969 and set up the Great Socialist People’s Libyan Arab Jamahiriya. Presumably, the Americans and Indians would have continued to befriend him if he had ruthlessly suppressed the revolt before it exploded. It’s ironic, too, that a pro-democracy movement is pitted against a jamahiriya or “state of the masses”.

Perhaps Washington wants to demonstrate that the Central Intelligence Agency, which could not save a star protégé in Cairo and has been caught with its pants down in Lahore, isn’t such a nincompoop (if an organization can be called that) after all. This could also be a manifestation of the new plan — CIA 2015 — by the CIA director, Leon Panetta, to refurbish his agency’s image.

Normally, West Asian countries are barely mentioned in the Indian media. The orgy of reports about the upsurge there reflects (dare I say it?) media imitativeness rather than a response to keen domestic interest. Yet, West Asia should rank high in foreign policy priorities. India imports 75 per cent of its oil needs and nearly three-quarters of that comes from the region. The four million Indians there (only 18,000 in Libya) are a major source of foreign remittances. The United Arab Emirates overtook the US in 2008-09 as India’s biggest trading partner. If national interest justifies dealing with Myanmar’s ruling junta (despite Barack Obama’s chiding) or an array of Arab sheikhs and sultans, there need be no squeamishness about Libya’s “Leader and Guide of the Revolution”.

Whether or not his days are numbered, India must forge a coherent West Asian strategy that places India’s fiscal stability, technological expertise and familiarity with democratic institutions at the disposal of the emerging order. Whatever the earlier record of Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood, its request for help in conducting elections merits a positive response. The unique instrument of soft power that is Bollywood can be deployed with aggressive creativity.
While India cannot afford to ignore either US strategic interests or its ties with Israel, being seen to hang on to America’s coat-tails like Hosni Mubarak’s ousted regime will only invite ridicule. “A subedar owing allegiance to a global overlord”, as Syed Shahabuddin put it in another context, won’t serve even American global interests either. The US needs a credible ally in Asia with an independent foreign policy.

shyamd · Post by **shyamd** » 06 Mar 2011 21:59

Mukesh, check mail.

India to draw up action plan to boost trade with Kuwait

Kuwait City, March 6 (IANS) It is a relationship fostered by the large Indian workforce but with untapped economic potential. Keen to invigorate its trade ties with Kuwait, India has asked its envoy in the oil-rich Gulf country to come up with an action plan to take mutual trade relations to a new level.

Official sources said that India's External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna, who visited Kuwait for two days last week to attend the 50th anniversary celebrations of the country's independence, talked of immense possibilities of Kuwaiti investment in infrastructure in his bilateral meetings with Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed Sabah Al-Salem Al-Sabah.

They said Krishna had told Indian Ambassador Ajai Malhotra to come up with an action plan 'to strengthen economic relations and to take trade ties to higher level'.

Krishna said that greater potential in economic and trade ties between the two countries needs to be tapped.

Bilateral trade between India and Kuwait is currently estimated to be about $10.5 billion annually, of which oil trade accounts for nearly $9 billion.

Kuwait is a major supplier of oil and oil products to India accounting for 10-12 percent of the total import. It is the largest supplier of crude oil to India from the Gulf after Saudi Arabia.

Krishna apprised the Kuwaiti minister about the efforts India is making for infrastructure development and said that investment in the area was welcome.

India plans to raise about $1 trillion during the 12th five year plan, which starts April 2012, to fund a huge infrastructure development programme.

As part of the efforts to raise resources, the government has already announced a series of steps to boost Foreign Direct Investment in infrastructure in this year's budget.

Official sources said that investment from Kuwait into India has been largely through portfolio management, through international investment companies or through countries providing tax breaks such as Mauritius and Singapore and as a result not reflected in official statistics.

Krishna, who met a cross-section of Indian community during his visit, said that relations between the two countries were mutually beneficial taking into consideration the large presence of Indian workforce in Kuwait.

Krishna's suggestion to the Indian community was to get more integrated into the Kuwaiti society without interfering in the country's politics or internal affairs.

Official sources said Kuwait's foreign minister told Krishna that the administration appreciated contributions that Indian community has been able to make.

The sources said that Indians in Kuwait are regarded as the community of first preference among expatriates because they are seen to be capable, sincere, trust-worthy, law abiding and non-interfering in the internal affairs of the Gulf country.

They said that Indian community has played an important and positive role in furthering India-Kuwait ties.

Dilbu · Post by **Dilbu** » 06 Mar 2011 22:19

SAS members 'arrested near Benghazi'

The BBC has been given details about an operation in which eight people, believed to include six SAS soldiers, have been detained by the opposition in the rebel-held Libyan city of Benghazi.

Eyewitnesses report that the SAS soldiers were escorting a British diplomat on his way to meet Libyan opposition leaders.

The Foreign Secretary has confirmed that what he called a "small diplomatic team" was in Libya and said the Foreign Office was in touch.

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 07 Mar 2011 00:03

Angelo Del Boca, "Mohamed Fekini and the Fight to Free Libya (Italian and Italian Amercian Studies)"
Publisher: Palgrave Macmill an | 2010 | ISBN: 0230108865 | 248 pages |

This book provides a significant history of Italy’s brutal occupation of Libya. Using the lens of the life of the iconic resistance fighter Mohamed Fekini, it tells the story of Libya under Ottoman and Italian rule from the point of view of the colonized. The story begins with the onset of Italian occupation in 1911-12, includes the crucial period of the anti-Italian jihad, from 1921 to 1930, and continues through the postwar creation of a united Libya under King Idris in 1947.

brihaspati · Post by **brihaspati** » 07 Mar 2011 00:27

I differ from those who think Gaddafi will be able to use his airforce or army to win a quick victory over the east. Even if he uses air-power effectively, my hunch is that the fight will not go well for him. It is better to prepare for some surprising develoments within his own current power base in the NW. The ones who could help him were the Egyptian army, which is itself in a very very tight corner.

There is an undercurrent of sections of state regimes in Europe to keep Gaddafi on oxygen so that no faction wins decisively in Libya. It can yet be turned around into a wonderful opportunity for the west. But that needs a mediating role for the "west". But is Europe in a position to really risk supporting Gaddafi? the domestic society is changing and may not be very amenable to what the governments may try to manipulate.

What is happening in Arab world is part of a larger Mediterranean trend that has been developing for some time. It was this that made me try to propose the possibility that the Islamic world may not continue in the way we think it will go on forever. But this frustration and outburst with governments and regimes is a feature around the Med. Its just that the societal structure and historical continuity has given it the shape it has taken in North Africa.

brihaspati · Post by **brihaspati** » 07 Mar 2011 00:57

We are looking at only Algeria and Egypt or supply by sea from the northern beaches. France has close relations with and presence in Chad. Sudan is also not to be discounted. Both have ample bases of power and "trade routes" under western influence, and sufficient internal factional infighting, semi civil-war conditions, large parts of territories really no-mans-land to be usable to prop up the east and even supply the necessary anti-air capabilities. Although the west will think twice about giving anti-air capacity again into such hands, now there are other international routes to obtain such capabilities. So western calculation could be to prevent alternate powers to use this gap and provide a limited capability themselves.

Vivek_A · Post by **Vivek_A** » 07 Mar 2011 06:54

Yesterday

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... ebels.html

Fancy your chances against the SAS, Gaddafi? Elite troops and MI6 spies poised to help Libyan rebels

Today

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldne ... wrong.html

Libya: inside the SAS operation that went wrong
As the diplomatic team in Libya were rescued by HMS Cumberland after their humiliating capture, the Ministry of Defence was left trying to work out what on earth went wrong.

Hari Seldon · Post by **Hari Seldon** » 07 Mar 2011 07:35

^^^LOL. Fancy one's chances, indeed....

shyamd · Post by **shyamd** » 07 Mar 2011 12:53

Spurred by Beijing, New Delhi moves to raise its profile in Iraq
By HARSH V. PANT

Special to The Japan Times
LONDON — After seven long years, the Indian government has decided that the time has come to make its presence felt in Iraq by naming an envoy to the country. The previous ambassador to Iraq was withdrawn in 2004 when the security situation in the country was spiraling out of control.

Even as the situation stabilized in Iraq with largely peaceful elections last year and the U.S. decided to withdraw its forces completely by the end of this year, New Delhi took its time to come to terms with the rapidly changing ground realities. After all, when it comes to the Middle East, inaction is the preferred mode of action of the Indian foreign policy establishment.

India and Iraq have enjoyed long- standing political and cultural ties rooted in millenniums-old civilizations. Iraq had emerged as one of India's closest allies in the Middle East by the 1970s. Not surprisingly, therefore, New Delhi not only opposed the use of force against Iraq in 1991 but also vehemently denounced the imposition of U.N. sanctions on Saddam Hussein's regime.

Saddam reciprocated by strongly backing India on the issue of Kashmir and on the 1998 nuclear tests. But Iraq's global isolation meant that India's economic ties with Iraq suffered significantly even though India tried to use the Oil-for Food program to expand trade with Iraq.

By the time of the second Persian Gulf war, India's foreign policy priorities had changed dramatically. Though it publicly opposed the 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, New Delhi came very close to sending troops to "postwar" Iraq in support of the United Nations Security Council's resolution to help maintain security in the country.

Lack of domestic consensus prevented that from happening. Still, India has contributed $10 million toward the International Reconstruction Fund Facility for Iraq in addition to $20 million for assistance to the Iraq people under the United Nations framework.

India has been training Iraqi government officials under the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation Program, and the Indian Oil Corporation Ltd., the largest importer of crude oil from Iraq, has been training Iraqi oil-sector officials.

Iraq is the third largest supplier of crude to India after Saudi Arabia and Iran. Despite this, there has been no larger strategic restructuring of Indian foreign policy toward Iraq.

India's response to the hanging of Saddam underscored the continuing salience of domestic political imperatives in shaping Indian foreign policy. When the death sentence against Saddam was announced, India denounced it as "victor's justice." When he was hanged, India declared it an "unfortunate event."

Both reactions were aimed at assuaging India's Muslim community, which has been agitated over the Indian government's perceived dalliance with the U.S. Beyond that, there was no attempt by India to engage the new political dispensation in Baghdad — despite the fact that the Iraqi government had invited India to step in and help in Iraq's reconstruction with its technology and management expertise.

Iraq is slated to become the world's biggest oil supplier by 2015, and Indian companies have been looking forward to operating there.

Iraqi businesses are also exploring opportunities for joint ventures with their Indian counterparts in the field of cement, petrochemicals, hotels, and oil and gas (upstream and downstream projects). But the lackadaisical attitude of the Indian government has prevented a deepening of India-Iraq economic engagement.

Compare this with China's growing profile in Iraq. In the past three years, Chinese companies have walked away with stakes in three of the 11 contracts the Iraqi Oil Ministry has signed in its bid to increase crude output by about 450 percent over the next seven years.

China has also renegotiated a $3 billion deal that dates to when Saddam was in power. It has agreed to cancel 80 percent of the $8.5-billion debt it is owed by Iraq even as the two countries have entered into trade deals valued at $3.8 billion over the last two years.

In response to China's growing demand for oil, the Iraqi government decided to boost Iraq's crude shipments to China from about 144,000 barrels per day to 300,000 in 2010.

Since the 2003 war to topple Saddam, Chinese oil companies have been among the most eager to help to develop Iraq's oil reserves with the state-owned Chinese oil firm China National Petroleum Co. (CNPC) clinching some of the biggest deals in the Iraqi oil sector. China has secured a second deal to help to develop one of Iraq's largest oil fields — the estimated 4.1-billion-barrel Halfaya field in southern Iraq — as well as the rights to develop Rumaila, Iraq's largest oil field, alongside BP.

It is also helping to restore production at al-Ahdab oil field. Sinopec, another Chinese oil group, has a strong position in northern Iraq following its $7.9 billion acquisition of the London Stock Exchange-listed Addax Petroleum, which has been exploring for oil in the autonomous Kurdish region.

Not surprisingly, BP and its partner CNPC will be the first companies to be paid back by the Iraqi government for developing Iraq's supergiant Rumaila oil field as part of the service contracts Iraq signed with the firms.

Baghdad has to start paying back the costs of developing these fields and remuneration fees when they achieve a 10 percent increase in production.

India will have to seriously think about its role as a new Iraq emerges in a new Middle East. Delhi has an expanding set of interests in the region, and Baghdad can once again emerge as a reliable partner if ties with it are nurtured carefully.

Appointing an ambassador is a good, albeit modest, start.

Harsh V. Pant teaches at King's College London.

Mukesh.Kumar · Post by **Mukesh.Kumar** » 07 Mar 2011 14:18

Quick update on Oman.

Seems trouble has restarted at Sohar at the Lulu R/A today.

shyamd · Post by **shyamd** » 07 Mar 2011 17:40

brihaspati wrote:I differ from those who think Gaddafi will be able to use his airforce or army to win a quick victory over the east. Even if he uses air-power effectively, my hunch is that the fight will not go well for him. It is better to prepare for some surprising develoments within his own current power base in the NW. The ones who could help him were the Egyptian army, which is itself in a very very tight corner.

There is an undercurrent of sections of state regimes in Europe to keep Gaddafi on oxygen so that no faction wins decisively in Libya. It can yet be turned around into a wonderful opportunity for the west. But that needs a mediating role for the "west". But is Europe in a position to really risk supporting Gaddafi? the domestic society is changing and may not be very amenable to what the governments may try to manipulate.

What is happening in Arab world is part of a larger Mediterranean trend that has been developing for some time. It was this that made me try to propose the possibility that the Islamic world may not continue in the way we think it will go on forever. But this frustration and outburst with governments and regimes is a feature around the Med. Its just that the societal structure and historical continuity has given it the shape it has taken in North Africa.

Egypt is not helping the Qaddafi clan, as you can imagine the usage of US equipment in support of Libyan regime will not go down well politically in the West. Egypt won't get involved for another host of reasons, but if anything the US was trying to arm twist Egypt into invading the east. But the Egyptians refused.

First step is to militarily defeat the rebel movement, then the Qaddafi clan will have to worry about guerilla warfare according to Saif. They've shifted some of their air assets to the south of the country, so, if US wants to strike them, then it'll need in flight refuelling before it can reach the target and safely return. All in all, you are looking at something thats quite a big operation. Lets see how this goes.

Gerard · Post by **Gerard** » 07 Mar 2011 17:56

My name is Bumble... James Bumble

Brit held with SAS in Libya was spy

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 07 Mar 2011 17:57

I just recalled the film of 1980s Omar Mukhtar and turns out he was born in tobruk and fought the italians for twenty years!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omar_Mukhtar

the arab world probably had patriots like him to start with but let down heavily by the succession of thieves and bigots 'appointed' by the scheming western powers and the dynasties and cabals they founded.

this pic sums it up - a man of grave dignity surrounded by a bunch of comical fat dressed up colonial pigs in dress uniform
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Omar_ ... scists.jpg

shyamd · Post by **shyamd** » 07 Mar 2011 19:48

What IAF pilots may go through when they conduct ops to pick people up from desert areas. However, doesn't look like IAF will send these guys in. Instead the Il-76 will fly home passengers from Cairo back to India.

Libya: personal account of RAF pilot who took part in SAS rescue mission
Flight Lieutenant Stuart Patton, Royal Air Force - personal account of the Hercules Operations in Libya.

Flight Lieutenant Stu Patterson at Tripoli Airport
8:45AM GMT 06 Mar 2011
5 Comments
(Age 29 from Chelmsford Essex and is based at RAF Lyneham in Wiltshire.)
I had been following the deteriorating situation in Libya on the news for a little while when, over lunch in the Officers' Mess, I heard that the Squadron was looking for volunteers for a standby crew in the event that an aircraft was needed to deploy. Having spent much of my two front line tours supporting established operations in the Middle East, I was very keen to be involved in a humanitarian relief mission and jumped at the opportunity to be a part of it. I was more than a little surprised when I was informed we were to go only a few hours later.
I arrived at the aircraft to find a hectic scene of people and equipment being loaded on. Royal Marines crammed dozens of life jackets into the aircraft which they would be taking for evacuees who would board Royal Navy rescue ships as our crew loaded their own equipment on. We arrived in Malta full of excitement but uncertain of what to expect, or when to expect it.
My crew had barely had time to rest from the short notice journey out when the phone rang, tasking us to fly to Tripoli International Airport. My dream of being involved in a humanitarian mission was to be realised – we were to collect people seeking to leave Libya as a result of the security situation and return them to Malta. Although we were getting small amounts of information on the situation at the airport, as we took off I had very little idea of what to expect from our flight to Libya. Would we be allowed to enter the airspace? Would we be able to land when we got there? Everyone on the crew had been watching the news and hearing that the airport was becoming crowded, and it was difficult to shake the idea that we might be surrounded by people desperate to leave the instant we turned up. The reality was inevitably more benign- we parked in a section of the airport that gave little clue to the chaos that had been reported on all the news channels, surrounded by civil and military aircraft from many other nations all seeking to collect their passengers. Word filtered from the embassy staff at the airport that it would take some time to process people from the crowds at the terminal. We eventually took off some hours later, returning to Malta with 64 passengers and a Chihuahua. The passengers were a mixture of British citizens and entitled personnel who were all overwhelmed to be picked up by the RAF and taken out of the ever-worsening situation in the country. As we shut down at the other end, all the crew were smiling and visibly delighted to have been involved in the effort to help the evacuees to safety.
On the drive back to the hotel we discovered that more crews and more aeroplanes had either arrived or were on their way out. We wasted no time in telling our new story to the crews that were there already and were left fairly certain that we'd had 'our go' and would be unlikely to be going back for a little while, though of course we had no idea of the next step in any case. It was therefore something of a surprise when, less than two days later, we were called in to work. Although details were sketchy at first, we began to learn that we would be going in as part of a mission to rescue the workers stranded in the oilfields of Libya. This was almost too good to be true – we would be landing on desert strips to evacuate the trapped workers and everyone was very excited, if a little nervous. We took off with even more questions racing around our head – What would the strip be like, and what would the ground situation be? Again, would we be allowed in? And what would happen if they didn't speak to us? Libya has extensive anti-aircraft defences and we didn't want to find out that they weren't happy to see us after we'd committed ourselves into their airspace.

There was one Hercules ahead of us and we learned from the Awacs surveillance aircraft that was providing threat information to us that they had made it into the country. Hoping we would have similar luck, we carried on and stated openly on the radio that we were a humanitarian flight, without stating where we were going. When radio contact with Tripoli was lost, they hadn't said we could come in, but then they hadn't said no either, so we pressed on.
The next challenge was getting in to the airfield itself we knew we were going to have to conduct an assessment of the site ourselves to see if it was suitable for landing. We heard word that the other aircraft was on the ground at its objective and began the descent in to the strip. As the field came into view it became clear that there was a runway in decent condition, and after a close inspection proceeded to land and taxi to the area we'd identified as both a suitable area to receive the passengers and to make a quick get away. While the crew sat waiting for news of the passengers, we laughed about the surreal situation we found ourselves in, sat on an unmanned runway hundreds of miles into the Libyan Desert. As the passengers began to turn up, communications were passed to us that 2 unidentified aircraft were heading towards the location of the other aircraft. For a short while, everyone was quiet, and a tangible sigh of relief was heard when we learned that these were in fact two German aircraft on a similar mission to us. Around that time, we also had word that the third aircraft had been turned away by Libyan ATC, though quite what that meant for our return to base, no one was exactly sure. After what seemed like a long time, the other aircraft called that they were airborne and passed information that the ground situation in their location had begun to deteriorate. Not long after that, we found out things weren't good where we were either. .Information passed to the ground troops indicated that people had arrived who would attempt to block the aircraft in. The loadmaster summarised the situation succinctly over the intercom – "we need to go now!", with the noise of ground troops shouting "GO!" audible in the background we were rolling down the runway before he'd finished his sentence with everyone safely on board.
At this stage, we had 40 evacuees on board, and were stunned to learn over the radio that the other aircraft had 136 evacuees, a huge number for our type of aircraft. A quiet hour followed as we headed north for the border, with everyone waiting for any contact from Libya or the E3 to say that something was happening. As we reached Maltese airspace, everyone visibly relaxed and as we landed and shut down, we were jubilant. Had that really just happened? Two aircraft in the middle of the desert, rescuing evacuees. It was slightly surreal to be at RAF Lyneham one day and rescuing evacuees from the desert only hours later. Once again the passengers were delighted to be safe and were so grateful that the RAF had rescued them, that an Australian passed round his flag and all the passengers signed it to thank the crew.
As we arrived back at the hotel for the second time, this time with an even bigger story, we became aware of how widely reported the event was being and smiled at the satisfaction of a job well done. The other crews put up with the story telling and made it even clearer that we'd definitely had 'our go' now. It was all the more surprising when the crew phone rang early the next morning, again calling us to cockpit readiness.
This time we were going as the third aircraft, and just hoped we weren't going to be turned away as had happened to the 3rd aircraft the day before. We were to go to two strips to rescue evacuees. We took off and things began in much the same way as the day before. The E3 announced that the other two aircraft had made it across the border and we began the same routine as yesterday, calling Tripoli on the radio and declaring our status as a humanitarian flight. This time there was no answer, so we didn't force the issue and just listened for any sign of trouble. Around this time we had our first destination changed and had found out that the other aircraft were having similar experiences – some of the strips had been blocked and someone back at HQ was doing some rapid rethinking. We found our first target without issue and continued as we had the day before, recce'ing the area, landing and then prepping for a quick get away. Again we waited for our passengers, this time pressured by the failing light that we would need to safely recce the second airfield, which was only a 10 minute flight away.
We took off with the sun beginning to set, and 27 evacuees on board. We quickly found the next airstrip, and it was immediately clear that the first portion of the strip had been blocked with oil drums and large containers. Following a very through inspection, we could see that the strip was in poor repair, but was still suitable and made a landing. We had only just touched down when we heard over the radio that one of the other aircraft had taken damage. Everyone was quiet, and it was hard to fight the temptation to ask what was happening to the other aircraft, but you know you have to leave them to get on with it and wait for them to pass an update. When it came, we were faintly relieved to know they were hoping to make it back to Malta and just hoped we'd be on the way soon. News was passed that there was no one for us at this strip, which was massively disappointing but did at least mean we could get going. It was dark by this stage, and we climbed away into the night with the aircraft unlit, using Night Vision Goggles to keep a good lookout. From there, the return to base was similar to the day before, but with the added tension of knowing one of the aircraft had been damaged by ground fire. We kept hearing reports from the damaged aircraft and were extremely relieved when we landed back at Malta, and even more so to see the damaged aircraft land a short while after.
As the three Herc crews met to debrief, it was clear that another enormously successful day had been had. 189 more evacuees had been recovered to Malta, and in spite of some damage, no one had been hurt. It was incredible to have been a part of something like this, and the shared experience amongst all the crew members was one to remember for a lifetime. It's all too obvious when things like this happen just how important every person in the chain is, and very clear that the professionalism of all involved was at the heart of the success of the weekend's missions

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 07 Mar 2011 20:16

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/wo ... 6017383274

rebels lose ground to sustained air attacks.

---
I am sure with gee whiz night fighting sensors, a 100 odd F-16/F-15/Rafale/Tornado flying from europe could locate and destroy Libyas primitive AF (most of it) and force the rest into hiding in a couple of nights of sustained warfare. that would effectively create no fly zone because nobody would be flying fixed wing planes. contractors and merceneries will melt away into the bush once their unopposed reign was ended.

armed helicopters could still operate, but with unopposed E3 coverage over coastal areas , roving lone F-16s/F-18s could track and hunt these down without much of a problem.

arms embargo is already in place and a naval blocade of arms from syria and such could be imposed.

meantime rebels could be supplied all the light and medium arms they needed + cash to buy out loyalist units.

this is a winnable war but all depends on where Massa stands.

Lalmohan · Post by **Lalmohan** » 07 Mar 2011 20:18

there is huge nervousness of western - especially unkil forces - being seen to be invading another arab country, that alone will allow col-G to slaughter a few thousand more. its like basra all over again

shyamd · Post by **shyamd** » 07 Mar 2011 20:37

Singha-udd-din, its a very winnable war. Problem = Paisa and ekhanomy. Does the US tax payer want to pay for this? Err.. No. They have seen enough in Eyeraaq. Next issue is, the Libyan Air Defence can be defeated, but it means bombing a lot of Air Defence sites. Again, it can be done, but who will foot the bill? You need to destroy Air Defence before you can chase those Libyan air force helicopters and planes. He has moved a lot of fixed wing assets deep south. So, only way to reach there is for air to air refuelling. It can be done, but at what risk etc. Will Russia give away the nodes. Also, UNSC needs to give permission, Yindu's, PRC and Russia gave a resounding no. Also, political concessions wrt Iran needs to be considered. Who is the biggest threat?

Think practically.

Lalmohanji, Gaddafi is playing it smart actually. He is blaming AQ for all this - so ordinary westerners who sitting in their pubs drinking beer, will think "Eh? He is doing our job! Why do we want to attack him?". This obviously affects public opinion on the matter. He hasn't actually, physically bombed protesters yet, as was widely claimed in western media. He has just started to use fixed wing and helicopters against rebels tanks, pickups and most importantly ammunition dumps. Rebels are complaining at lack of ammunition. Qaddafi is still not pulling out all the stops to defeat the rebels. Another problem for the US is that their intel on the ground is contradictory. The intel walla's are providing conflicting reports. The SAS team with MI6walla's was probably just one of many who are with the rebels.

Best option is to arm the Eastern rebels with Stingers and assorted equipment. Then get British, US, French to speak to tribal leaders in the East.

JE Menon · Post by **JE Menon** » 07 Mar 2011 23:07

From the link Gerard posted above... These parts are hilarious

>>Armed farmers reportedly challenged the team when they arrived at an agricultural compound. It was claimed they were spotted after driving into a farm and unloading kit bags. One AK-47-wielding farmhand, named Rafah, said: "We fired into the air and said, 'Hands up, don't move'. They did as we said. It wasn't very difficult."

>>The MI6 man was NOT directly plotting to help bring down Gaddafi, Government sources insisted. He was trying to establish diplomatic relations with rebels fighting to topple the dictator and a larger Foreign Office team was to follow. (My comment - Can you get more ridiculous than this... apparently you can, read on...).

>>Later Libyans were filmed holding underpants said to belong to one Brit - which they said had a secret compartment sewn into it. (You can't make this sh1t up)

>>Libyan state TV last night broadcast a recording of a phone call in which British Ambassador Richard Northern tells a rebel leader he was "not surprised" the SAS were greeted with hostility. He says: "I understand there has been a misunderstanding and they have been picked up." The rebel chief replies: "Actually they made a big mistake coming in with a helicopter in an open area." Mr Northern then says: "Oh did they? I didn't know how they were coming. I'm not surprised that's alarmed them."

>>The SAS men were from a unit formerly known as The Increment, hand-picked to protect MI5 and MI6 officials. (From now on, no doubt they will be known as The Excrement... Sorry Brits, you had that coming )